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New quad fifties!

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GAF
  • Member since
    June 2012
  • From: Anniston, AL
Posted by GAF on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 9:52 PM

That a great build, Pawel!  Stereo fifties on the flip-side!

Gary

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 4:41 PM

Cheers Pawel!!! Turned out great! Love the gun platform and the gunner- really nice work! Heart

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Saturday, February 17, 2024 4:22 PM

Hello everybody!

I'm leaving it without a base for now. Other than that my Quad is finished and it looks like that:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Friday, February 2, 2024 2:37 PM

Hello everybody!

Gino, Cliff, Gary - thanks a lot for your kind words and staying with me on this build!

Cap'n - Thanks a lot! My main idea here was to turn the lower lights under the desk together with the desk lights, to light the parts while they were falling - this way you can track them better and find them easier. I agree that the LED strips would be good for this as they offer great flexibility as to where and how to install them.

And I've got another update - I installed the "guts" on the quad:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

I've also built the armor assembly and I cut off the upper "flaps" and posed them lowered - in Vietnam the quads were often used like this, it allowed for better visibility for the gunner. I took a tiny strip from some leftover PE fret and scratchbuilt the springs that would hold the "flaps" in the "up" position:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

I have modified the trailer base by adding one more base ring to it - I've seen that the original "Blood, Sweat & Tears" was configured this way:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

I would also like to use this opportunity to show how the brass PE strip that was glued around the quad base was higher than the plastic part it went on:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

The above photo shows how this setup makes fixing the quad to the base difficult and there is no provision for rotating the quad around the base (traverse). I decided to remedy it by designing and 3D printing an appropriate rotator.

This is how it fits the base ring of my quad:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Together with a fitting hole in the trailer base this will let me have a quad that will be able to traverse.

So it's almost done, I'll start wrapping it up and maybe think about a small base for it...

Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Formerly Bryan, now Arlington, Texas
Posted by CapnMac82 on Friday, February 2, 2024 12:12 PM

Pawel
I also contemplated putting a light under my workbench to illuminate the falling parts and assist with the search for them

Now that's an outstanding idea.

Even if it were only some strip LED stuck to the bottom of the bench (best clearance for knees) that would be cool thing to have.

Another notion that comes to my mind is a 1x4 fluorescent fixture like one of these:

(apx 120 cm x 30 cm)
Set at floor level and facing out across the floor horizontally.

Neither would be "typical" shop lighting, but would make good "oops" lighting.

Although the strip LED could be put on a dimmer to help add a bit of light to a dark shop space, then turned up to need.

GAF
  • Member since
    June 2012
  • From: Anniston, AL
Posted by GAF on Thursday, February 1, 2024 10:22 AM

I concur that all looks good!

Gary

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 10:37 PM

Nice work there, on your own modified parts and the 3D printed one. Yes

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Valrico, FL
Posted by HeavyArty on Monday, January 29, 2024 5:23 PM

Looking good.  I like how the engine turned out.

Gino P. Quintiliani - Field Artillery - The KING of BATTLE!!!

Check out my Gallery: https://app.photobucket.com/u/HeavyArty

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Monday, January 29, 2024 3:25 PM

Hello again!

I’ve got a small update for you - I’ve built the battery and the charger for it.

First the battery - I supplemented the Dragon parts with some 0,5mm copper and some lead wire:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

After painting - the battery and its charger, a 3D printed part from Dynamo, the detail is very nice:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

The exhaust might seem a bit pristine, but that’s how it looks like on many period photos. I guess it was made out of stainless steel and didn’t have time to get really dirty. Additionally a critical observer might note that the battery pach is 12V, but I think it should be 24V - I will not correct that.

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

 

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 5:49 PM

Cliff, Gary - thanks a lot for your comments! Yeah, I also especially like the gun barrels with their cooling jackets, really nice.

Gary - recently I had to admit getting old and started using that large backlit magnifying glass. That really helps at times, so maybe I got better eyesight than you, but I know for how much longer! I've had my battles with the carpet monster, too and I still ocasionally do - that's why I have only vinyl panels under my workbench, that helps. I also contemplated putting a light under my workbench to illuminate the falling parts and assist with the search for them - but this is still only an idea...

I hope to be able to post an update here soon, so please stay tuned... Thanks for reading and have a nice day!

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

GAF
  • Member since
    June 2012
  • From: Anniston, AL
Posted by GAF on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 4:56 AM

Your eyesight is much better than mine, Pawel!  Such tiny parts would soon be lost to the "carpet monster" if I tried this.  Good work!

Gary

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 8:47 PM

They look great Pawel! The stuff you can do with 3D printing today is insane. I'm both shocked and delighted by the delicate printing of the gun barrels and tiny parts. Nice work on the assembly and the ammo boxes! 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Formerly Bryan, now Arlington, Texas
Posted by CapnMac82 on Sunday, January 21, 2024 11:46 AM

Pawel
Oops - looks like I accidentally let some Polish slip through

Not a problem, Google Translate handled it nicely enough.

be good for 17 ammo boxes if you used two per box -

Ammo boxes are not consistent on being stenciled both sides, so, single-sided is "protypical."   The stenciling is done by the plant doing the final assembly.  So, a number of factors might define whether there is time to stencil the cans two sides or just the one.

Which in US practice is complicated by the practice of hiring contractors to operate Government Ammunition plants.  So, compnies like Olin, Winchester, Remington or the like might use their 'commercial' standards than might be used by Lake City or the like.

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Saturday, January 20, 2024 6:35 PM

Oops - looks like I accidentally let some Polish slip through - I'm editing it out!

The nice thing about that Dynamo kit is they have a decal sheet with good ammo box stencilling, like you noticed, but they have 34 such decals which would be good for 17 ammo boxes if you used two per box - a lot of spares and that could be very handy for making an ammo pile that would have to be somewhere close to an operating Quad.

As for the color - once I've bought two .50 ammo boxes in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and they were my original OD colour master sample. Using those boxes I found that Humbrol 66 is such a good colour match here, and that's what I just used in this build.

By the way, looong time ago there were those ancient objects used to store music and data - called "the CDs", and they fited perfectly into an .50 ammo box.

Have a nice day!

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Formerly Bryan, now Arlington, Texas
Posted by CapnMac82 on Saturday, January 20, 2024 5:42 PM

Pawel
po malowaniu jedna strona wygląda tak:

Wygląda świetnie, zwłaszcza szablon skrzynki z amunicją.

That "ammo box color green" can be so hard to render in model form, too.

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Saturday, January 20, 2024 9:22 AM

Hello Cap'n!

It's good to have you on this thread!

Well I made this razor saw about 30 years ago, when my father still was using those blades... I filed teeth on the side using a triangular cross-section needle file. And it still works!

Yeah, those parts really have nice detail on them. Although those belt-feed cam tracks were already done in 1:35 (by Tasca, I believe) this is not an everyday thing...

And I have a new update - the guns on one side after painting and decaling:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

 

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

 

Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

 

Paweł

 

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Formerly Bryan, now Arlington, Texas
Posted by CapnMac82 on Friday, January 19, 2024 12:30 PM

Pawel
using a razor saw (the one you can see in the photo I made myself many years ago):

Quite literally a "razor [blade] saw" :-D

Those are some high-speed prints, to include the tracks for the cams that run the belt-feed.

Sadly, my google-fu is not getting any photos of the internal bits, which have all sorts of metalic hues.

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Thursday, January 18, 2024 9:16 AM

Hello Cliff!

Thanks a lot for your comment! I'm going to put on some paint really soon, but first I wanted to tackle the guns!

They are made up from 3D printed parts, so today I would like to write about working with the such parts that come with the Dynamo kit.

The kit comes with two 3D printed parts that hold two receivers each - one left and one right, differing in the setup of the charging handles. Those handles and their levers are very fragile, and care has to be taken at all times so as not to break them off. Here’s how the 3D printed parts look like:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

As you can see the large portion of the part is a protective cage that has to be carefully removed.

I started with cutting through the wide walls with my plastic cutter:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

If you don’t have such cutter yet, I would heartly recommend you get one. It is made for example by the OLFA company and it can be used for model building for at least three things: apart from its intended use for cutting plastic plates it can also be used for scribing panel lines, but also for cutting off resin pour blocks. This has the advantage that instead of creating resin dust it tends to cut off quite large swarfs, which helps to minimize the problems with resin dust.

After cutting the wide walls the narrow “bars” were cut with sprue cutter:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Now the receivers can be fully appreciated, the detail is very good, maybe even exceptional:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

After CAREFUL cutting of the attachment points at the charging handle (they are very thin) the support can be cut at the bottom using a razor saw (the one you can see in the photo I made myself many years ago):

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

One of the parts can now be separated with a cut shown on the photo below:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Next cut starts separating another support:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

That can be finished with a sprue cutter:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

One more cut that hes to be relatively precise, separates the final support. All the time you have to watch for those charging handles (ask me how I know!):

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

After separating the last support the hole for mounting the barrel is revealed:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

A few more shots of the finished part, with a Q-tip for scale comparison:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

As you can see the insides of the receivers are also detailed so you can show them open, for example for reloading or inspection:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Next are the receiver covers. The kit gives you six such covers (two spares):

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

The covers are printed with a relatively small supports, so you have to make a narrow cut as close to the base as possible, so as not to take material away from the part itself:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

The insides of the covers are also detailed, letting you pose them open:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

The other supports can be removed with sprue cutters:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

The support attachment points have to be filed smooth. The one shown on the photo below has to be filed to fit the receiver:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Now it’s time for the barrels. The upper support attachments are delicate enough just to be gently pulled away:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Then the barrel can be cut away using a jigsaw:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Now the remainder of the supports have to be separated:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

And filed flat, otherwise the barrel will not fit right or have a tendency to be crooked:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

The barrel is also very nicely detailed:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

After assembly and painting with some Gunze Dark Iron the gun looks like this:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Thanks a lot for reading, have a nice day!

Paweł

 

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 9:10 PM

Good call on replacing the bent part. Good to see her all ready for paint!

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Sunday, January 14, 2024 7:22 PM

Hello Cliff!

Thanks a lot for your kind words!

I've been working on the trailer. Although all parts are very carefully packed (every sprue in an individual plastic bag) i got one part slightly damaged:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Rather than repairing it, I decided to cut the bent part and replace it with a section of a syringe needle. This way I also didn't have to drill the ends out. after assemblying the trailet it looks like this:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

It's about time to add some paint now... Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Friday, January 5, 2024 10:14 PM

Looks great Pawel, sharp work! Yes

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Monday, January 1, 2024 2:37 PM

Hello everybody!

I have assembled the quad chassis and painted the insides black - for now. Later I'll spray them OD, but the layer of black will prevent lighter places and provide natural shading. I have also applied the only PE part supplied in the kit - the strip around the main bearing. Now you have to carefully cut it aout and shape it before glueing with CA, but if you take care that should be no problem. One thing to note is that the PE part is about 1 mm taller than the plastic ring it's bing glued to. You might want to do something about it before tackling the PE part.

I have also finished painting the gunner - here's what he looks like now:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

I hope you like how this is turning out - thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Monday, December 11, 2023 6:51 PM

Hello everybody!

So I've been playing with the new Dynamo Quad 50 for some time now. People who know me won't be surprised, that I'm going for the Vietnam version. Probably the "Blood Sweat and Tears" in ground mount configuration. But first I had to do something about the gunner. The kit supplied gunner wears a WWII uniform. So for Vietnam he needs different pants and tropical boots - which would probably be left as they are, given how little there 's to be seen and how little space there is under the front armor - and also a different jacket/blouse and helmet with a camo cover. I started to file up the arms, which have the correct position. I also modified the torso with filing away some minor detaillike the shoulder patches, and adding roled up sleeves and torso pockets out of Milliput. I used a helmet from a Vietnam set by Dragon. Here's what the gunner now looks like - dry fitted. Still some sanding, especially of the milliput parts needed, but we're getting there:

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawell

1:35 Dynamo Models  M55 Quad .50 by Pawel

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 4:28 AM

Sylvain just got back to me with some interesting options... He even wrote me they read about my Quad 50 build before they started tackling their kit... Cool, eh?

Have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Valrico, FL
Posted by HeavyArty on Saturday, May 6, 2023 8:56 AM

I missed the postman on Thurs and the package had to be signed for.  I was able to get to the P.O. today and got the box.  It was packaged in a large box w/lots of peanuts.  The kit box is heavy cardboard with a plastic box inside for the 3D parts.  Everything came through w/out any breakage.  The plastic is the Dragon kit.  They parts are crisp and clean w/no flash.  The 3D parts are exquisite; they look awesome.  You get a few extra pieces too; six total ammo cans w/ammo belts and five ammo can holders.  I won't post more pics as it looks just like the ones above.

The decals are awesome; very crisply printed and with lots of extras.  There are white and yellow can markings for the WWII tombstone cans; a total of 24 of each color, you only need 4.  The same for the Vietnam ammo can decals, there are 36 and you only need 4.  Overall it looks like a great kit, I highly recommend it.

Gino P. Quintiliani - Field Artillery - The KING of BATTLE!!!

Check out my Gallery: https://app.photobucket.com/u/HeavyArty

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 9:26 AM

Please, that update kit would be especially interesting to me...

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Valrico, FL
Posted by HeavyArty on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 8:58 AM

Just got a P.O. tracking notice.  I should have it tomorrow.  I'll let you know how they look upon arrival.

Gino P. Quintiliani - Field Artillery - The KING of BATTLE!!!

Check out my Gallery: https://app.photobucket.com/u/HeavyArty

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

  • Member since
    April 2016
  • From: N. Burbs of ChiKawgo
Posted by GlennH on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 5:38 PM

OK tHanks. That's the guy that I got the email from today so I'll see what's what mid summer and if not I'll go through them directly.

A number Army Viet Nam scans from hundreds yet to be done:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/southwestdreams/albums/72157621855914355

Have had the great fortune to be on every side of the howitzers.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Valrico, FL
Posted by HeavyArty on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 5:35 PM

I contacted Dynamo from the contact email on their web page:  support@dynamo-models.com 

Sylvain got back to me promptly and was very easy to deal with.

Website:

https://www.dynamo-models.com/en/kits/

 

Gino P. Quintiliani - Field Artillery - The KING of BATTLE!!!

Check out my Gallery: https://app.photobucket.com/u/HeavyArty

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

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